Improved top-sail reefing-rig



N.FE.TERS, PHOTO-CITHOGRAPHER WASHINGTON D C UNITED STATES? PATENTOFFICE- WM. SMITH AND DANIEL HOOPER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED TOP-SAIL REEFlNG-RIG.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,922, dated June 26,1866.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM G. SMITH and DANIEL HOOPER, of the city,county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Top SailReefing-Rig; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to make and use the same.

In reefing a top-sail as ordinarily the upper or top-sail yard is firstsquatted or lowered down,and then the reef-tackles are hauled out, whichagain lifts up the body of the sail after it has been lowered with theyard, and draws as much of the upper part of the top-sail up to theupper yard as is intended to be taken in the reef, and the slack sailwhich is so drawn up by the reef-tackles is then secured along the yardby knotting the reef-points over the said upper yard. in this mode ofreefing a top-sail the whole sail is first lowered with the upper yard,and then it has to be hauled up again by the reef-tackles whenthey arehauled out, and with a heavy sail this takes time and is attended withconsiderable heavy labor, more especially when the sail is wet and whenthere is more or less wind in the sail, as is generally the case;

The object of this invention is to obviate the necessity for hauling outthe reef-tackles by providing a means for holding up the body of thesail when the upper yard is lowered for reefing, so that in efiect thereef-tackles are already hauled out as soon as the upper yard isdown,an(l the men can go upon the yard at once without first having tostop and expend time and labor in hauling up the reef-tackles.

Our invention consists in sustaining the body of a top-sail, when theupper yard is squatted for reefing, by a boom or light yard, which isfastened to the sail along the line of the close reef, and is held up bylifts, so that that portion of the sail below the close reef is notallowedto settle down with the upper or topsail yard when it comes downfor reefing and also in a novel construction of lifts for the saidsustaining-boom, whereby their strain is distributed on the boom so asto favor the use of a light one; also, in an improved method of securingthe belly of the sail to the reefingboom in a strong and substantialmanner 5 and our invention further consists in the employboom in snugagainst the top-mast when the top-sail is thrashing about in a calm, andprevent the boom from beating against the topmast, as hereinafter setforth.

Having described the nature of our invention, we will proceed todescribe its construction and operation, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 shows a rear view of the top-sail fitted with our improvedreefing-rig, and Fig. 2 shows a side view of the same, the top sail andyards being shown in sections. Fig. 3 is a fragmental view, showing aportion of the front of the top-sail, and illustrates the method ofsecuring the sail to the boom.

Similar letters of reference in the different figures indicatecorresponding parts.

A in the accompanying drawings is the top sail. B is the upper ortop-sail yard. 0 is the lower yard, its technical name being determinedby the mast upon which it is placed. D is a boom, which is secured tothe top-sail at the line of the close reef, and is suspended by thelifts M m m M m m, Fig. l. J is the top-mast. K K are preventer-lifts. gg, Figs. 1 and 2, is a check-line for checking the boom D in against thetop-mast when there is not wind enough in the sail to keep the top-sailfrom flapping against the mast. e 6, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are stops orropebands which are used in connection with a binding line or rope, ff,Figs. 2 and 3, to secure the sail A- to the boom D.

Its operation is as follows: When the yard B is lowered for reefing theboom D holds up the lower portion of the top-sail and the weight of thesail is thrown principally upon the lifts M m m M m m, Fig. 1, so thatin all cases the sail can be readily hauled up to the yard B, for takingin a single, double, or close reef, without the aid of reef-tackles tohoist the reef up to the yard B. The lifts M M are bifurcated beforereaching the boom D, so that they take hold of the boom at severalpoints, as seen in Fig. 1, and the strain of the lifts M M is therebydistributed along the boom, so that a light spar or boom only isrequired for this purpose, and the'boom D is not liable to be snapped orment of a check-line for checking the reefing" way, with cringles andlanyards.

broken in the center by its ends bein carried forward with the force ofthe wind upon the sail when the upper yard is started down, as

the center of the boom is allowed to flow away from the top-mast J, andsuch strain must come upon the lifts M m m and sail A below D, and uponthe lower yard, (3, and some of these must give way before the boom Dcan be broken by the force of the wind in the top-sail reeling. As soonas the reef has been taken in the topsail the upper yard is againhoisted up by the halyard O and the reefing-booin D relieved of theweight of the sail A.

The boom D is secured to the belly of the topsail in a strong andreliable manner by rope bands or stops 6 e, which have an eye spliced ineach end, and the bights of these stops are then pushed throughgrommet-holes worked in the seams of the sail, and a binding or lookingrope, ff, Figs. 2 and 3, is then rove through these bights on theforward side of the sail, and when the two eyes of each rope band orstop have been seized together by seizing .r m, Fig. l, the sail issecured to the boom in a very substantial manner.

In this mode of fastening the sail to the boom the sail is secured atits outer edges in the usual The grommet-holes in the sail A for thestops 0 are worked through the reef-band of the close reef as well asthrough the seams of the sail. The 'n-evcnter-lifts K can be used forstudding-sail hal yards during light weather and for preventer-liftsduring heavy weather.

The check-line g g is used for drawing the boom D in snug against thetop-mastJ during a calm, to prevent the boom D from beating against thetop-mast by the movement of the ship in a dead sea. This line 9 is madefast to the boom D, and leads around the top-mast J and back to the boomD, and through a block or deadeye, t, which is secured to the boom, andthen the line 9 passes through a fair-leader, h, on the mast-head, andfrom thence leads down to the deck. This checking-line g is left slack,so that the reefing-boom flows out freely from the top-mast, and is usedonly upon such occasions as above mentioned to steady the boom,

If the portion of the top-sail below the boom D should be split, thesheets S S, Fig. 1, can

be unhooked from the clews t t of the top-sail and be hooked into thecringles r 1", Figs. 1 and 3, and the npperportion of the top-sailreadily lowered down and set in the place of the damaged portion, theboom D in that case being brought down close to the lower yard, 0, andthe damaged portion of the top-sail is hauled up on the front side ofthe part that is set where it is becalmed, and it may then be repairedor allowed to hang until the gale is over.

By these means the process of reefin g a topsail is much simplified andmuch of the labor is saved, besides greater promptness, a saving intime, which is often an item of much importance and always a source ofsatisfaction to all concerned. The work of setting the topsail after ithas been reefed is much less by this method than usual, as the sheets SS, Fig. 1, never have to be started and hauled home again, and the yardB is hoisted up again much easier than if it had the whole strain of thesail upon it. I

The prevcnter-lifts K, Fig. are used to haul the upper yard, B, downwhen it refuses to come down by its own weight, as is sometimes thecase; but they are chiefly used, when the upper yard is lowered, toreduce the size of the topsail, and the sail allowed to hang withoutreefing or tying the reef-points, and in such case they are then settaut, so that the upper yard, B, may take a portion of the strain fromthe reefing-boom D and lifts M m m.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

I. In connection with a single top-sail, a flowing middlc yard orreeling-boom, D, checking-line g g, bifurcated lifts M m m, andpreventer-lifts K, all arranged and operating as herein shown andexplained.

2. The combination of the bindingropeff W. G. SMITH. DANIEL HOOPER.

Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, ALEX. F. ROBERTS.

